1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to medical supplies and associated equipment, and more specifically to an improved connector apparatus for use with flexible medical tubing and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Medical tubing is well known and in widespread use. It is often necessary to connect a segment of medical tubing to an article, or to another segment of tubing. Typically, these tubing connections are made through the use of solvent bonding, various adhesives (e.g., epoxy or UV-light curing glue), interference fits, heat forming, and molding (e.g., insert molding).
However, there are problems associated with all of these known methods of tubing connection. For example, solvent bonding generally is associated with the use of materials which may be considered hazardous in a medical environment, such as PVC. The use of these materials is often influenced by their low cost assembly made possible by the use of this bonding technique. Furthermore, bonding solvents can be hazardous in the manufacturing environment. In addition, PVC often can no longer be used in IV therapy due to today's pharmaceuticals, which may dissolve and "wash out" the softeners in the PVC, or themselves get absorbed in the plastic. Common adhesives require curing times, UV-light curable and hot-melt glues require special equipment and worker safety precautions, and molding requires a capital and labor intensive investment for its tooling and manufacture.
Some mechanical connection devices have been developed where you push the end of the tubing over a connector and secure it there with some form of clamp or other mechanical device. However, this generally requires that the connector and the securing device are separate parts, thereby increasing the cost of manufacture, and complicating the assembly.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an apparatus to connect all types of medical tubing which replaces current connection methods, and which is not specific to the tubing or connector material in use.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a mechanical tubing connection apparatus capable of automating the tubing connection process by having all the required parts on one piece.